Kailua's Sushi Kai broke new ground when it opened its casually stylish doors in 2005, proving a sushi restaurant didn't have to fall under the categories of traditional papasan, bells-and-whistles Sansei school of crowd pleasing or high-end splurge a la Sasabune and the opening-sometime-this-century Nobu.

It's a restaurant with neighborhood low-keyness and enough contemporary design touches to feel like you're having an evening out. And the question it begged was: When will something like this open in Honolulu? First-time restaurateur Avery Choi was thinking along the same lines when he opened Goldfish in February.

OK, it's not exactly in anyone's neighborhood (though it won't be long until it's absorbed by the creeping Kaka'ako Condo Canyon), but it's close enough to most points in town. It serves affordable sushi, it's got a low-key rock 'n' roll feel (no shoji screens or blond wood in sight) and you can bring your own bottles for now. What more can you ask for?

While the block can seem desolate on a Thursday night, that means there's lots of street parking. Next to the Hawaii State Federal Credit Union building in what used to be Royden's okazuya, Goldfish is an inviting canteen. You dive into a turquoise space, the wall behind the sushi bar wallpapered with time-capsule LP covers — Billy Joel's "The Nylon Curtain," Elton John's "Honky Chateau," Michael Jackson's "Bad" — like a million little Mainland eateries designed by someone with a funky eye and a DIY budget.

Sit at the counter or at one of the black tables to order small dishes and sushi.

Choi is originally from South Korea, as are both of his chefs, and the heritage shows in dishes such as fried kim chee with pork — a salty pile of bacon strips and kim chee that is the ultimate beer partner. Local staple poke — a classic sesame-and-green onion version — is on the menu as an appetizer and as nigiri. Serving poke atop rice is a good idea, but it'll work better if cut to a much smaller dice, boys.

Kabel Kim, who trained mainly in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he attended culinary school, and D.J. Kim, who worked at the Arizona-based sushi chain Ra and owned Alakea Delicatessen, turn out sashimi don bowls, a selection of "special sashimi" such as garlic tilapia and crispy 'ahi, a slew of maki, and a limited list of nigiri.

This isn't the place to nitpick about sushi (the nigiri is cut large, and on one night the rice was on the overcooked side, preferred by some, rebuffed by others) — the price, amiability and low-key vibe make it all good.

The fish quality is as good as the price (the maguro on one night was a cut marbled with that unchewable white sinew). Kim and Kim put their effort into the maki — big-white-plate productions such as the tiger roll, a sliced log of fried prawn and crab surrounded by swirls of a sweetish wasabi sauce, a Sriracha-and-mayo sauce and a sweet soy sauce that tasted a lot like Indonesian kecap manis.

The veggie combo impressed a no-meat eater, who cited the innovative use of tempura sweet potato as a "skin" on a roll of shiitake and ogo.

Want a proper entree? There are five items under "Kitchen Menu" and the tuna steak — the haute, bunless version of lunchtime's popular 'ahi sandwich — is a winner, with the peppered fish served in a garlic mushroom sauce (it gets a lightly spicy teriyaki sauce by day).

Choi moved here 18 months ago with his Island-born girlfriend (whom he met in San Francisco). His background is as a product designer — he designed phones for Samsung and was chief merchandiser for Timberland when the rugged shoes launched in South Korea.

But there was a fact he couldn't ignore. "I love eating," Choi says helplessly.

He was a consultant for several small Honolulu sushi businesses, helping them with their menus, logos, interiors and he thought, "Why not do it for myself?"

He was aiming for something "down to earth, natural, something different for this area. There's so many small takeout and bento places and lunch wagons, but I think Hawai'i people deserve more than that. Something different!"

As Kaka'ako physically changes, it's inevitable that its culinary options will too, Choi says. "People are demanding more. I'm trying to create suitable supply for that demand."

But, as he notes, people still want their katsu and two scoops. So his lunch menu, a hit with people from nearby business hives, aside from sushi combo lunches for $7 to $10, includes beef curry rice and tempura mahimahi.

In case the restaurant's name makes you think of your sixth-grade aquarium, "I just liked the word," Choi explains. "And the dishes that we bring out — we want it to be as precious as gold, and we know our dishes are all fish dishes."

Just having a cool place to hang out in the neighborhood with I-could-eat-this-again food is gold.

Reach Lesa Griffith at lgriffith@honoluluadvertiser.com.